New report aims to combat social isolation, loneliness among SC’s growing senior population

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A report released on Tuesday aims to combat social isolation and loneliness among seniors, which research has shown can have significant negative impacts on mental and physical health.

The report, spearheaded by the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health (IMPH) and the South Carolina Department on Aging (SCDOA), comes after a task force of more than 40 stakeholders from across state agencies studied the issue for months.

“The report is meant to be a call to action, it is not something to sit on a shelf,” Maya Pack, the Executive Director of the IMPH, said.

The main theme of the recommendations is to find ways to get seniors more connected: through programs, the internet, and transportation.

“When we think about social connection as a health determinant, we typically think of the mental health benefits of social connection, but there’s also innumerable physical health benefits,” Pack said. “When we’re talking about what makes our state healthy or unhealthy, social isolation and connection need to become part of that conversation.”

Widespread isolation can have the same health impact as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to a report released by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy last month.

One way stakeholders across the state are hoping to address that is by freeing up organizations that serve the senior population to allow them to add more social connection programming.

“We have restrictions and part of with COVID and our federal government and the programs that we provided, we had flexibilities, and so we realized with those flexibilities, we need those,” SCDOA Director Connie Munn said. “So what we’re looking at is doing that with our state dollars because we are very blessed to have a state in South Carolina that s us and our agency in funding. So we always are looking for additional funding that allows us flexibility to do various pilot projects for our older adults,”

Another way the state’s task force hopes to keep seniors connected is by working to address gaps in high-speed internet and ensuring that they are able to easily access things like telehealth services.

Transportation access is also a significant barrier for older folks, the report found.

The task force’s recommendations also include conducting a statewide study, which would look for ways to close that transportation gap.

“If you want to be connected with people, sometimes that involves leaving your home, and if you have reached an age where you can no longer drive your own car or if you don’t have a car, we need to talk about those folks that are under-resourced in our state,” Rep. Chandra Dillard, D-Greenville, said. “Public transportation is vital.”

Dillard, who is also an IMPH board member, made an appeal to all South Carolinians that helping people feel less alone goes beyond policy and funding.

“Social isolation is something that we’ve all known about,” she said. “Maybe your viewers have felt lonely at times so magnify that to the hundredth power, and let’s check in with our own selves. Do we want to stay in that state, right? Do we want our older adults to stay in that state, and the answer should be no, right? And we can all do something about it.”

The SCDOA releases an aging plan every five year years, with its next one coming in 2025.

The agency says this report will help them identify gaps in its last plan, which came out during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and explore ways to meet the growing needs of seniors.

The report comes at a critical time, as the state’s senior population is growing.

Those 65 and up made up 19 percent of the state’s population in 2020.

By 2035, they are expected to make up about a quarter of the state’s population.

Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article's headline.

Stay up to date with WIS News 10. Get the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and Stream us on Roku, YouTube, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV.

Copyright 2023 WIS. All rights reserved.